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Pollution And Welfare In The Presence Of Informal Sector: Is There Any Trade-Off?

Author

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  • Sarbajit Chaudhuri

    (Dept. of Economics, Calcutta University, India)

Abstract

We present a three-sector general equilibrium model with an informal sector, which produces an intermediary for the formal sector, and analyze the effects of different policies on the environmental standard and welfare of the economy. Since the informal manufacturing sector creates pollution, higher the use of informal sector product, higher is the pollution created and higher the discrepancy between actual and permissible levels of pollution, so that the emission tax payable by the formal sector is also higher. The efficiency of a representative worker is inversely related to the level of pollution. In this setup, we show that even if the permissible level of pollution is reduced, the polluting sector may expand and worsen the environmental standard. However, this policy may be welfare improving. On the other hand, an inflow of foreign capital may reduce the pollution level but affect welfare adversely. The paper finds that there might exist a trade-off between the economy’s twin objectives of lowering the level of pollution and improving national welfare. These results are new in the trade and environment literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarbajit Chaudhuri, 2005. "Pollution And Welfare In The Presence Of Informal Sector: Is There Any Trade-Off?," Others 0510012, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpot:0510012
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    Cited by:

    1. Ummad Mazhar & Ceyhun Elgin, 2013. "Environmental Regulation, Pollution and the Informal Economy," SBP Research Bulletin, State Bank of Pakistan, Research Department, vol. 9, pages 62-81.
    2. Elgin, Ceyhun & Oztunali, Oguz, 2014. "Pollution and informal economy," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 333-349.
    3. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit & Gupta, Manash Ranjan, 2013. "Endogenous Capital Market Imperfection, Informal Interest Rate Determination and International Factor mobility in a General Equilibrium Model," MPRA Paper 51157, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Nilendu Chatterjee & Kausik Gupta & Tonmoy Chatterjee, 2017. "Revisiting the Conflicts between ‘Environmental Taxes vs Standard' in the Context of International Trade: The Role of Waste Recycling," International Journal of Sustainable Economies Management (IJSEM), IGI Global, vol. 6(2), pages 13-29, April.
    5. Ceyhun Elgin & Oğuz Öztunalı, 2014. "Environmental Kuznets Curve for the Informal Sector of Turkey (1950-2009)," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 61(4), pages 471-485.
    6. Chaudhuri, Sarbajit & Gupta, Manash Ranjan, 2014. "International factor mobility, informal interest rate and capital market imperfection: A general equilibrium analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 184-192.
    7. Ceyhun Elgin & Oğuz Öztunalı, 2014. "Environmental Kuznets Curve for the Informal Sector of Turkey (1950-2009)," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 61(4), pages 471-485, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Pollution; informal sector; pollution emission tax; permissible level of pollution; foreign capital;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O17 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
    • O22 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy - - - Project Analysis
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O54 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Latin America; Caribbean
    • Q25 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - Water

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